The Manta was known to be one of the best-handling cars in its class and went on to win a large number of rallies in Europe and the United States. The Manta came with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed TH-180 automatic. In the United States, only the largest, 1.9-litre, engine was offered. The Manta was normally equipped with a 1.6 or a 1.9-litre CIH engine, although in continental Europe, a small, 1.2-litre, motor was also offered. (In the UK the Ford Capri niche was contested, with only limited success, by Vauxhall's Firenza, based on the ageing Vauxhall Viva until 1975.) The Vauxhall and Opel models were subsequently sold side by side. In the UK market, the first Manta was sold only as an Opel: there was no Vauxhall-branded Manta (or Ascona) until after the launch, in 1975, of the Manta B1 and Ascona B as the Mark 1 Cavalier coupe and sports hatch (Manta) and saloon (Ascona). It took its name, and a few minor styling cues, from the Manta Ray concept car (1961), which also famously influenced the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette C3 (both Chevrolet and Opel had General Motors as their parent company). A competitor to the Ford Capri, it was a two-door "three-box" coupé, and featured distinctive round tail lights, quite similar to those on the Opel GT and which in fact were used on the GT in 1973, its final model year. I hope that I’m wrong because for all of its faults it is quite an attractive little car.The Manta A was released in September 1970, two months ahead of the then new Opel Ascona on which it was based. On the face of it the price of this particular example is probably a little higher than it should be, but for me the work required to rectify that rust under the car, along with bringing the interior up to scratch just seems to me to be a bit more than I would want to take on with this car. The Opel Manta wasn’t imported into the USA in huge numbers, so finding them for sale today is becoming more difficult. Looking around the engine bay reveals a few corrosion spots (including on the hood) which may indicate that this Manta has seen its fair share of wet environments. Apparently, the original Solex unit died, so it was more economically viable to replace the standard unit with a Webber downdraught carburetor. The only real deviation from standard revolves around the carburetor. The seller states that the car runs and drives well. Under the hood is the 1900cc engine, and in this case, it is backed by an automatic transmission. The door trims and the remainder of the interior plastic trim appear to have survived okay. The car has been fitted with an aftermarket radio/cassette player, but the original radio is included in the sale. The front seats will need new covers and the dash has several cracks in the pad. The top of the rear seat is badly sun-rotted, while the headliner is also torn. The interior looks generally like it has copped its fair share of UV rays over the years. This sort of rust would make me give the rest of the underside of the car a very serious inspection. This is not the sort of work that should be carried out by an amateur as improper repair will have some serious ramifications in the event of an accident. This is where the front sub-frame bolts to the car and this really must be addressed, and addressed properly. This is the big ticket item when it comes to rust on this Manta. There is also some rust beginning to appear under the battery, but most of this should be able to be addressed fairly easily. There is rust just beginning to appear along the lower rear quarter panels and in the spare wheel well. The car looks nice and straight and presents really well. The claimed mileage is something that I would hope that can be verified. The original owner traded it to a dealer in Iowa who retained the car for an extended period without ever driving it, and the current owner purchased it off that dealer. The seller claims that he is the second owner of this car, but by my reckoning, he is actually the third owner. There must be some interest in this car because at the time of writing there were 67 people watching this car on eBay. The seller has set a BIN price of $3,500 on this Manta. Located in Trempealeau, Wisconsin, it is offered with a clear title. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. It is a clean looking car, but it will require some work to make it immaculate. This 1973 Opel Manta has reportedly only traveled a genuine 31,000 miles.
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